Josh Holderness, 12, and Jackson Holdernes, 6, pose with Goofy at Disneyland. The family originally had their tickets confiscated after they bought them at an unofficial agency. They would get their money back. A friend bought tickets for them so they could go to the park in July. COURTESY OF BETH HOLDERNESS

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ANAHEIM – Beth Holderness got a bad feeling as soon as she bought discount Disney tickets in a strip mall.

She found $80 tickets to attend Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on the same day, compared with the usual $125 ones. After giving her credit card number, the worker whited-out names on the passes and told her to lie to Disneyland employees about where she bought them.

At the park gate, employees figured out that the multiday tickets had previously been used by someone else – against company policy.

Disney confiscated the tickets.

Holderness' 6-year old son burst into tears. Holderness cried, too.

"I feel like a criminal, but I thought I bought legitimate tickets," Holderness recalled.

"You do need to ask yourself why these tickets are so discounted," said Sgt. Allan Roman of Anaheim Police Department.

BUSINESS MODEL

At least nine such ticket agencies exist: in strip malls, in offices above a Chevron or inside a Shell market. All have Anaheim business licenses and operate in similar fashion:

A broker will buy multiday Disneyland passes from an authorized seller: Disney itself, certain hotels or tour operators. A five-day, park-hopper pass is $290 – so for $58 a day, the customer can go to Disneyland and California Adventure. At the gate, the single-ticket cost is $125.

The ticket agency will rent out the five-day passes by the day, for roughly $80 to $99. The agency pockets the difference, say $110 to $205 per each five-day ticket.

But Disney tickets clearly state that they are "nontransferable" and must be used by the same person on all of the days.

Most times, ticket renters avoid getting caught. Craig Neil, owner of Anaheim Tickets on a side street near Disneyland, said less than 2 percent of customers have had problems. Visitors can get refunds or new tickets, he said.

"They do check some of the tickets, but they don't check all of them," Neil said about Disney ticket takers. "Otherwise, we would not be able to stay in business."

The agencies advertise, like on Craigslist, Facebook and Twitter. One man, often smoking a cigarette and wearing a Mickey Mouse headband, holds a sign on Disneyland Drive pointing tourists to his business a few blocks away.

Inside the agencies, at least one displays a Better Business Bureau plaque. They post their business licenses on walls.

Sandra Sagert, Anaheim's community preservation manager and designated license collector, said the license descriptions state that "no resale of tickets" is allowed, and city workers warn owners about Disney's policies. But city officials couldn't point to a specific code that would be broken.

Disney tries to trip up the agencies that rent the tickets. This year, it stopped selling passes for six and seven days.

Disney employees are trained to spot reused tickets – by asking questions, requesting identification or checking to see if the passes are altered.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

Within the year, Anaheim parks plan to put in new technology that could resolve the issue, said Suzi Brown, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman. She declined to elaborate.

"Ticket 'renting' is in violation of our policy, which clearly states that tickets must be used by the same person on any and all days," Brown said. "So that our guests are not taken advantage of, we strongly advise that they only purchase tickets at Disneyland Resort, at our hotels or through an authorized seller to ensure that tickets are valid."

In 1988, at the urging of Walt Disney World officials, who claimed Disney lost $3 million the previous year there, Florida outlawed the resale of multiday tickets. No lobbying efforts are under way for a similar law in California. Disneyland Resort declined to disclose figures about losses in Anaheim.

Walt Disney World parks and SeaWorld San Diego use biometrics – a fingerprint scanning system – for visitors using multiday passes. Brown, the Disney official in Anaheim, said that strategy won't be used here.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

On the Better Business Bureau website, one complaint about confiscated tickets was lodged against Best Tickets Here, despite it being accredited. On Yelp, reviews are mixed: Most patrons say they are happy to get cheap tickets, while others warn of blocked tickets.

"The people were professional and quite friendly and helpful in explaining everything in detail to me and basically making it quite convenient," said Jonny Arguello of Fremont in an email.

Claudia Reott's granddaughter and great-grandchild were supposed to meet family members visiting from back East for a Disneyland trip last year. But their tickets had already been used; the two relatives with the rented tickets didn't get in with them.

"It was a nightmare. Instead of a big day at Disneyland ... they didn't get to go," Reott said.

Holderness of Arvada, Colo., said she got stopped when a Disneyland worker asked what time she had been there the previous day. Holderness replied that it was her first day. A friend ended up buying tickets for the family to go in, and Holderness got her money back a few days later.

"Disney is a huge corporation," Holderness said. "If this is against their policy, why haven't they pushed to prosecute people for this?"

Neil, the owner of Anaheim Tickets, was the only ticket broker willing to talk to a Register reporter out of seven who were approached. He said most customers are happy. He showed email messages from six satisfied patrons.

Neil said his workers tell buyers how to avoid getting caught, handing them a business card listing when tickets were purchased, where and when they were last used. He said a family of four can save about $100.

"It is unfortunate," Neil said about those with confiscated tickets. "We're not looking to scam anyone. It's one of these things. I feel like we are doing a good service for the community."

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